Core Design developed the original Tomb Raider game released in 1996.
The Derby-based British studio created the game for publisher Eidos Interactive. Designer Toby Gard helped shape Lara Croft, while the team built the adventure around exploration, platforming, puzzle solving, and combat. The game’s success established Tomb Raider as one of the defining action-adventure series of the 1990s.
Core Design developed several early Tomb Raider titles, including Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III, and Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. Crystal Dynamics later became the main developer, beginning with Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006. This change is a common source of confusion because Crystal Dynamics is strongly associated with the modern trilogy, but it did not develop Lara’s first game.